1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf shoes and, more particularly, to a sole therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A golfer needs a strong grip or traction between a golf shoe and the green. The traction is particularly important during a golf swing. Existing golf shoes generally include protrusions on an outer sole to achieve the grip. The protrusions are typically called studs, spikes or cleats. In the following the word cleat will be used. Some golf shoes have soles with a receptacle into which the cleat is screwed. The cleat is thus removable and replaceable. Other golf shoes have the cleats integrally molded with the sole. An example of an athletic shoe with integrally molded cleats is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,503.
A major problem with golf shoes with cleats is that the cleats can leave cleat marks (or holes) on a grass surface of a golf course, particularly on a putting green, therefore, damaging the green. A careless golfer who shuffles or twists his feet while walking across the putting green can damage the grass surface. Even a careful golfer can leave cleat marks on the putting green, particularly when the putting green is wet. Some golf clubs even ban golf shoes with steel cleats from the golf course because this type of cleats has long nails that damage the green. In order to avoid such damage but still have a firm grip, a special type of “soft cleats” or “soft spikes” has been developed during recent years. These cleats comprise between four and six resilient arms extending from a base; the arms resiliently dig into the green and create at the same time sufficient grip. A drawback is, however, that once the golf player leaves the course, the arms, which are typically made from plastic, are immediately exposed to wear and tear from e.g. the asphalt of the street. Use outside the golf course rapidly wears down the plastic arms, and the cleat has to be replaced with a new one.
Another problem with golf shoes with cleats is that the shoes tend to accumulate dirt and debris, especially during wet conditions. The accumulation of such dirt and debris requires frequent and tedious cleaning to provide the desired grip during the golf swing.